Foldable table and seat assembly



Sept. 19, 1950 A. A. SCHMIDT 2,522,642

FOLDABLE TABLE AND SEAT ASSEMBLY.

Filed June 2, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ANDREW A. SCHMIDT,

INVEN TOR.

A 7 TOPNE K Sept. 19, 1950 A. A. SCHMIDT 2,522,642

FOLDABLE TABLE AND SEAT ASSEMBLY Filed June 2, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet 2ANDREW A. SCHMIDT,

IN VEN TOR.

A 7' TORNEK Sept. 19, 1950 A. A. SCHMIDT FOLDABLE TABLE AND SEATASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 2, 1949 9 ANDREW A. SCHMIDT,

INVENTOR.

f2 7 A 7 TORNEK Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEFOLDABLE TABLE AND SEAT ASSEMBLY Andrew A. Schmidt, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 2, 1949, Serial No. 96,766

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to foldable table and seat assemblies and moreparticularly to one in which the seats and their supports are sointerconnected as to be compactly folded into two hingedlyinterconnected receptacles which when opened constitute the table topand when closed the enclosure for the seats and their supports.

Although such assemblies have been heretofore proposed, they have notbeen widely used for several reasons, at least one important reasonbeing that the table formed by the interconnected receptacles was notsecurely supported in the fully extended position. In these priorassemblies like the one herein shown, the table was supported betweenand above the seat members by link elements interconnecting the tableand the seat members and which permitted the latter to be arcuatelymoved into the receptacles when the table was folded. The articulatedlink elements of the assemblies heretofore proposed extended from thecentral portions of the seats to central points located on oppositesides of the table. Although such construction afforded convenientaccess to the seats from either of their ends, this construction wasinherently poor, for

it did not provide adequate support for the table top itself.

In the table and seat assembly of the present invention the seat membersare rigidly supported by foldable legs and in turn rigidly support thesubstantially rectangular table top at the four corners thereof. Thissupport is afforded by a single rigid link arranged at each corner ofthe table top, the opposite ends of each link being pivotally connectedto a corner and '=;5

one end of a seat member, respectively. As the table top of the presentinvention is supported at the four corners thereof and not merely at theopposite sides intermediate the corners, the same is far more rigid inuse and will take substantially heavier loads than the tables of priorassemblies.

Because of the arrangement used in prior assemblies to provide access tothe seats from the opposite ends thereof, the link elements when foldedinto the receptacles were disposed intermediate the transverse wall ofthe receptacles and the folded seat members. This obviously requiredreceptacles deep enough to receive the link elements and seat mmbers insuperimposed relationship. This necessarily increased the over-alldimensions of the table when folded for transportation or storage.

In the assembly of the present invention, as the links are connected tothe ends of the seat members the same when folded are disposedintermediate the ends of the seats and the end walls of the receptacles.Thus the receptacles are of less depth than the receptacles of priorassemblies and the assembly of the present invention can therefore befolded into a more compact device.

The particular link arrangement of the present invention not onlyresults in a more compact folded device but provides a feature not to behad with prior assemblies. As the links fold into receptacles topositions intermediate the ends of the seat members and the side wallsof the receptacles, the supporting surfaces of the seat members, whenthe latter are moved with the links into the receptacles, are infacewise engagement with the undersurface of the table top formed by thetwo receptacles. In this folded position the partially collapsed orfolded assembly forms a table supported at a level substantially that ofthe seat members. The table in this use of the assembly is directlysupported by the seat members and their supporting legs and forms atable well adapted to be used at the beach or other recreational areaWhere the users of the table prefer to sit or recline on the groundadjacent the table.

Thus with the table and seat assembly of the present invention the tableand seat members may be completely unfolded to provide a table havingarranged along opposite sides thereof seat members which through thefour links rigidly support the table above and between the seats. Withthe table and seat members so arranged, seating accommodations areprovided such as are had with a conventional picnic table.

If the table is to be used where informal seating arrangements aredesired, as at a beach, for example, the seat members are merely swunginto the receptacles to drectly support the table top formed by thereceptacle. When the table is to be further folded for transportationand storage, the legs of the seat members are merely folded against theundersurface of the seat members and the two'receptacles swung togetherto form a carrying case.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will behereinafter apparent from the following detailed description thereof,particularly when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure l is a perspective view showing the table in its partially openposition in which the table top is directly supported by the seatmembers;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the table and seat arrangementcompletely folded for transportation and storage;

Figure 3 is a view somewhat similar to Figure l but showing the tableand seats in their fully extended position;

Figure 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section taken along line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of Figure 1; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in section of the pivotal connectionbetween a seat member and the table top supporting link.

The table and seat assembly of the present invention, referring now tothe drawing and more particularly to Figure 3 thereof, comprises a pairof shallow or tray-like rectangular receptacles it of identicalconstruction, size and shape. The receptacles 10 may be formed of anymaterial desired and each comprises end and side walls H and i2,respectively, and a transverse wall l3 presenting oppositely facingplane surfaces. The receptacles Ill are interconnected by a plurality ofhinge means M to permit the two receptacles to be moved or swungtogether to form the carrying case shown in Figure 2. The hinge means italso permits the two receptacles to be swung away from each other tobring the outer planar surfaces of the transverse walls It intocoplanarity to form a continuous surface or table top, as clearlyillustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

The table formed by the two receptacles I8 is supported above andbetween a pair of seat assemblies each comprising a planar seat element7 i5 and a pair of supporting legs IS. The legs l6 are hingedlyconnected to the undersurface of the seat element l5 by hinges indicatedby the reference character IT. The legs I6 herein shown as substantiallysolid panels obviously can take any particular shape desired. Each legis rigidly braced in its extended position by a pair of brace links I8,each comprising toggle mechanisms the free ends of which are pivotallyconnected to the seat element and a leg I6, respectively. The bracelinks l8 are each formed with means for limiting movement of the same asthe legs are pivotally moved outwardly from the seat elements, and thismeans holds the legs in the desired extended position. The hinge membersI? permit the'legs to be swung from a position in which the sameunderlie the seat element if: to a fully extended supporting positionsuch as shown in Figure 3, in which position the legs are, as aboveexplained, rigidly braced by the links [8.

Each seat element l5 carries at the opposite ends thereof frame membersIQ of a length slightly greater than the width of the seat elements l5.The one end of an elongate rigid link 2! is pivotally secured to theprojecting end of each frame element 59, the opposite end of each link2! being pivotally connected to an end wall H of the contiguous oradjacent receptacle Ill. The pivotal means 22 interconnecting the oneend of the link 2| with the frame element I9 may comprise, referring nowto Figure 7, a headed pintle member 23 passed through aligned openingsformed in the ends of the frame member l9 and link 2!. The end of thepintle member 23 opposite to the headed end is threaded and receives awing nut 24, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fullyexplained. The

pivotal connections 25 between the links 2i and the end walls I i mayconsist of any conventional pivot means desired.

The hinge connection between the receptacles Hi and the manner in whichthe seat assemblies are pivotally connectedito opposite sides of thetable formed by the receptacles, permits the table and seat assembly ofthe present invention to be compactly folded into the carrying caseshown in Figure 2. Any conventional fastening means, such as indicatedat 25, may be used to hold the two receptacles in their fully closedposition. A handle member 27, one end of which may be permanentlysecured to one receptacle, is provided at its opposite end withdetachable means for removably securing this end to the otherreceptacle. The handle member 2'5 obviously forms means for convenientlycarrying the case formed by the closed receptacles it.

When the table is to be used, the fastening means 26 are disengaged, asis also the one end of the handle 21, and the two receptacles are swungapart to a position in which the adjacent side walls 12 are in facewiseengagement. In this position the outer planar surfaces formed by thetransverse walls [3 will be coplanar, as clearly shown in the drawing.The legs it are now swung outwardly from the seat element 15 until thelimiting means of the brace links 58 prevent further pivotal movement.The two re ceptacles can now be inverted to allow the seat elements l5to pivotally move out of the re ceptacles and into the position shown inFigure 3. i

It will be seen, referring now to Figure l, that pivotal movement ofeach of the links 2 i is limited by the opposite side walls 52 of thereceptacles and the engagement between the upper ends of thelinks 2!with the side walls tends to hold the table in a rigid supportedposition. The wing nuts 24 can now be tightened to prevent any relativemovement between the lower end of the links 2! and the frame elements59. The table and seat assembly in this fully extended position affordsseating accommodations suchas are found with conventional picnic tablesfor the seat elements form benches arranged along the opposite side ofthe table. It should be noted that the links 2! are connected to thetable top at substantially the four corners thereof and thus will, whenthe seat assemblies are moved to the position shown in Figures 3 and 4,rigidly support the table above the seat assemblies and the table topwill consequently take relatively heavy loads applied even at thecorners thereof.

When it is desired to collapse the table and seat assemblies fortransportation or storage, the folding operations are reversed to bringthe seat assemblies into the receptacles Hi to permit the same to beclosed to again form the carrying case shown in Figure 2.

As the seating elements l5 are of a length slightly less than the lengthof the receptacles ID, the seat assemblies, when the same are swunginwardly about the pivotal connections 25 and 22, are movable to aposition, referring now to Figure 5, in which the upper surface of theseat elements I '5 are in facewise engagement with the undersurface ofthe transverse walls It of each receptacle. In this position the links25 lie closely adjacent to the end walls H of the receptacle, as clearlyshown in Figure 6. The frame members 19, in this folded position of theassembly, are arranged substantially parallel to the links 2|.

"'-If the legs I6 are allowed to remain in their fully extendedposition, a table is had, referring now to Figure 1, whichis rigidlysupported directly by the seat assemblies a distance above thesupporting surface substantially equal to the length of the extendedlegs it. The table top formed by the two receptacles ill will, it isquite clear, be very rigidly supported, for as above explained, theparticular link arrangement permits the sup-porting surface of the seatelements I5 to be moved into facewise engagement with the undersurfaceof the transverse walls l3. The table in the adjusted position shown inFigure l is particularly adapted to be used at a beach or otherrecreational area where informal seating arrangements are desired.

Although the now preferred embodiment of the present invention has beenshown and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the inventionis not to be limited thereto, for it is susceptible to changes in formand detail within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A table and seat assembly comprising a pair of shallow receptacles;means for hingedly interconnecting said receptacles whereby saidreceptacles form, when folded, a carrying case and when opened a tabletop; a pair of seat members; each seat member being of a length slightlyless than the length of said receptacle; a plurality of legs forsupporting each seat member; means for foldably connecting said legs tosaid seat members for movement between a folded position lying againstthe undersurface of said seat members to an operative extended position;link means pivotally interconnecting each of the opposite ends of saidseat members to each of the opposite ends of said receptacles; said linkmeans supporting said table top from said seat members in a positionsubstantially higher than said seat members; releasable means forholding said link means against pivotal movement relative to said seatmembers to rigidly hold said table top in said higher position; saidseat members and said link means being movable to position the upperface of each of said seat members in facewise engagement with theundersurface of said receptacles and to position said link meansintermediate the opposite ends of said seat members and the adjacent endwalls of said receptacle, whereby said table top is rigidly supported bysaid seat members and the supporting legs thereof at a levelsubstantially that of said seat members.

2. In a device of the type described, a pair of benches, each includingan elongated top portion having planar faces, foldable legs at the endsof the top portion and sectional foldable braces connecting portions ofthe legs to the top portion; a table top formed of a pair of receptacleseach including a transverse wall and end and side walls; means forpivotally interconnecting adjacent side walls of said receptacles topermit the two receptacles to be folded to form a case and to bepivotally moved to a position in which the transverse walls of eachreceptacle are coplanar; an elongate, rigid link pivotallyinterconnecting each end of the benches to the corner of said table topadjacent each bench, said links, when said benches are arranged atopposite sides of said table top, supporting said top in an elevatedposition above said benches; releasable means for holding said linksagainst pivotal movement relative to said benches to rigidly hold saidtable top in said elevated position; said benches being arcuatelymovable from the said positionsat the opposite sides of said table topto positions in which the planar surfaces thereof are facewiselyengaging the undersurface of said receptacles, whereby said table top isdirectly supported by said seat members; said links pivotally movingduring the aforesaid arcuate movement of said benches to positionsintermediate the ends of said benches and the end walls of saidreceptacles.

3. In a device of the type described, a pair of benches, each includingan elongated top portion having planar faces, foldable legs at the endsof the top portion and sectional foldable braces connecting portions ofthe legs to the top portion; a table top formed of a pair of receptacleseach including a rectangular transverse wall, end and side wallscircumscribing said transverse wall; means for pivotally interconnectingadjacent side walls of said receptacles to permit the two receptacles tobe folded to form a case and to be pivotally moved to a position inwhich the transverse walls of each receptacle are coplanar; said tabletop adapted to be arranged intermediate said benches; an elongate, rigidlink pivotally interconnecting each of the opposite ends of the benchesto an end wall of the adjacent receptacle adjacent each corner of saidtable top and movable into a limit position in engagement with the sidewall of the receptacle to which it is connected, said links in saidlimit position supporting said top from said benches in an elevatedposition relative thereto; said benches being arcuately movable from thesaid positions at the opposite sides of said table top to positions inwhich the planar surfaces thereof are facewisely engaging theundersurface of said receptacles, whereby said table top is directlysupported by said seat members; said links pivotally moving during theaforesaid arcuate movement of said benches to nested positionsintermediate the ends of said benches and the end walls of saidreceptacles. 4. A structure of the character described, comprising: twosubstantially rectangular receptacles, each having a transverse wallpresenting oppositely facing plane surfaces, a pair of end walls, and apair of side walls; hinge means interconnecting adjacent side walls topermit said receptacles to be moved together to form an inclosure, saidreceptacles adapted when opened to form a table top; a pair of seatmembers to be arranged at opposite sides of said table top; legsfoldably connected to said seat members for supporting the same; fourrigid links; means carried by the opposite ends of each link forpivotally interconnecting the opposite ends of each seat member to theouter ends of the end walls of the adjacent receptacle for supportingthe table top in one position of use thereof between and above said seatmembers; releasable means for holding said links against pivotalmovement relative to said seat members to rigidly hold said table top insaid position above said seat members; said links arcuately movable withsaid seat members into positions within said receptacles in which thesupporting surfaces of said seat members are in facewise engagement withthe underneath plane surfaces of the transverse walls of saidreceptacles and said links are disposed intermediate the ends of saidseat members and the end walls of said receptacles whereby the table topformed by the outer plane surfaces of said receptacles is supported in asecond position of use thereof at a relatively lower level than in saidfirst named position of use.

5.; A device of the character described, comprising: a pair of seat,members; supporting legs for said members; means hinging said legs tothe seat members to fold thereagainst; a table top having a lengthslightly greater than the length of said seat members; said table topadapted to be arranged intermediate said seat members and comprising twoaligned receptacles each having a transverse Wall and side and endwalls; means hingedly interconnecting adjacent side walls of saidreceptacles; said receptacles being movable from an extended position inwhich said transverse, walls are coplanar to a folded position in whichside and end walls are edge-to-edge to form an enclosure; and a singleelongate, rigid link of a length, substantially equal to the width ofsaid receptacles pivotally interconnecting each end of said seat'membersto the outer end of the end walls of the receptacle adjacent to eachmember for supporting the table top formed by said receptacles in saidextended position at the four corners thereof in an elevated positionabove said members; releasable means for holding said links againstpivotal movement relative to said seat members to rigidly hold saidtable top in said elevated position; said links being pivotally movableabout the connection between the same and said end walls to arouatelyguide said seat members to positions in which each seat member isfacewisely engaging the undersurface of the transverse wall of thereceptacle to which it is pivotally connected and is directlysupporting, the engaged receptacle whereby said table top is supportedat a relatively low level; each of said links in said last namedposition of said table top being disposed within said receptaclesintermediate the end walls thereof and the opposite ends of the seatmember disposed therein.

6. A device of the character described, comprising: a pair of seatmembers; supporting legs for said members; means hinging said legs tothe seat members to fold thereagainst; a table top having a lengthslightly greater than the length of said seat members; said table topadapted to be arranged intermediate said seat members and.

comprising two aligned substantially rectangular receptacles each havinga transverse wall and side and end walls; means hingedly interconnectingadjacent side walls of said receptacles; said receptacles being movablefrom an extended position in which said transverse walls are coplanar toa folded position in which side and end walls are edge-to-edge to forman enclosure; a single elongate, rigid link of a length substantiallyequal to the width of said receptacles pivotally interconnecting eachend of said seat members to the adjacent outer end of the end walls ofthe receptacle adjacent each member, said seat members being movable topositions in which said links support the table top formed by saidreceptacles in said extended position at the four corners thereof in anelevated position above said members; and releasable means for holdingsaid links against pivotal movement relative to said seat members torigidly hold said table top in said elevated position; said links beingpivotally movable about the connection between the same and said endwalls, upon release of said holding means, to arcuately guide said seatmembers to positions in which each seat member is facewisely engagingthe undersurface of the transverse wall of the receptacle to which it ispivotally connected and is directly supporting the engaged receptaclewhereby said top is supported at a relatively low level; each of saidlinks in said last named position of said table top being dis.- posedwithin said receptacles intermediate the end Walls thereof and theopposite ends of the seat member disposed therein.

ANDREW A. SCHMIDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

